Day 7 - Keysville, VA to Durham, NC

TRIP: 30578 Calories, 623 miles = 632 miles per gallon

Day 7 - 3359 Calories, 99.5 miles = 760 miles per gallon

This was another great day of riding, with bright sun, smooth, empty roads, a slight tailwind and few mechanical problems (though I did have to pump up my tire every two hours). Those factors allowed me to maintain a 15.5 mph average for the day while I was on the bike, while at the same time returning an incredible 760 miles per gallon. Life is good.

I decided to make a stack of sandwiches from the groceries of last night. I put five together, and decided that it would be enough, but by the end of the day I wanted more! See for yourself, it looked ridiculous.

My right knee has been getting more and more painful over the course of the trip, and today I decided to do something about it. I think that the pain was a result of the bike's high Q-factor (left-right distance between the pedals) and the fact that my right foot points outward when I ride. I adjusted the cleats for this, moving my shoes closer to the center of the bike and giving my right foot a better angle. The setup felt much better.

I blasted down fast, smooth roads in the blazing, 80 degree heat, which just 24 hours earlier had been a hurricaney mess. There was one bridge crossing where there wasn't enough room for both cars and bikes, but other than that, and the occasional buzz from a semi-truck, the ride went smoothly.

Then it was just piling up the miles to get into Durham. I got a bit lost on the way, and added 10 miles to the planned distance, but I finally got to Durham, I even passed the place where I got hit by a car two years ago while riding the wrong way down a street at night with no brakes, gears, or reflectors. She swerved right at the last second-like this blue van-and BLAMMO! I somehow left the bike and landed on my feet. The bike clattered off but luckily its no brakes, gears, or reflectors weren't damaged.

I got to Duke and took a shower in the gym, then went to the bike shop where I used to work, and weighed the rig. It only weighed 39 pounds-very light to take on a week long trip!

Then I hung out with Jesse, blasted around in his new 1978 Porsche 911, and ate some cosmic cantina.

I must note, that today it still felt like I was the only bike on the road. Here is a typical scene during the day-I blast past cars, but it is sketchy.



Only 422 Calories to go!